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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29567547">Oh We Made Quite A Mess, Babe</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseLinesofLightning/pseuds/TheseLinesofLightning'>TheseLinesofLightning</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Strictly Come Dancing RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A little bit of angst, And a happy ending, F/M, a look into the way my brain works when it comes to these two, some deep introspection</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:22:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29567547</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseLinesofLightning/pseuds/TheseLinesofLightning</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ranvir does some soul searching and comes to a conclusion that will surprise no one. Except maybe Giovanni.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Giovanni Pernice/Ranvir Singh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. It’s Probably Better Off This Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this has been simmering in my head for a really long time and over the past couple of days it just spilled out of me. Originally a three parter it very swiftly turned into four parts, whoops! It is all written though so hopefully a new chapter every day for you to enjoy :)<br/>Thank you all so much for all the feedback so far, it genuinely has been so lovely to receive and read.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>February 2021</em>
</p>
<p>“Ah!” Ranvir grinned at her old dance partner over FaceTime, “if it isn’t my <em>very, very good friend</em>,” she teased. Giovanni looked sheepish as he scratched the back of his head nervously.</p>
<p>“You read it then?”</p>
<p>“<em>No, no, no, no, no</em>,” she said shaking her head, the same teasing smile growing just a tad bigger as she spoke.</p>
<p>“Ranvi!” He laughed, “Stop taking the piss!”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry Giovanni, there’s <em>absolutely no way</em> I can stop,” she barely managed the end of her sentence before bursting into laughter as she collapsed onto her sofa, a sage green cushion falling to the floor as she moved.</p>
<p>“You’re the worst,” he pouted, his eyes shining with mirth as he watched her.</p>
<p>“Eh, you love it,” her tongue stuck between her teeth, “or maybe you don’t,” she shrugged, “that article was very unforgiving,”</p>
<p>“You’re mad about it?” He asked cautiously.</p>
<p>“Why would I be mad? We dealt with those rumours our entire time on Strictly, why would it bother me now?” She replied, very obviously ignoring the elephant in the room.</p>
<p>Giovanni shrugged and Ranvir cocked her head as she realised he was genuinely concerned he’d hurt her or overstepped a boundary she had put in place.</p>
<p>“I know but I guess we’ve never directly said no to anyone who’s asked before,”</p>
<p>“We’re not really being asked about it any more,” she pointed out, desperate to avoid the fact that his denial had felt very final and had eschewed any possibility of a relationship in the future, “it was fun to tease our friends with the rumours but we knew we were just teasing,” she paused.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Giovanni agreed with her, sitting back in his chair, the London skyline lit up behind him out the window. “You know I find you disgusting anyway,” he winked at her, his trademark smirk appearing on his features as the tension in the room melted away.</p>
<p>“Oh you wound me,” she rolled her eyes, “but I return the sentiment, you’re like, everything I could never want in a man,” she teased.</p>
<p>“I’ll keep my eyes open for a blonde, brown eyed, Spaniard who can’t dance for you then shall I?” Giovanni laughed.</p>
<p>“Yeah and if you could make sure he’s super intelligent too that would be great,” she waited a few seconds for him to get the joke and then:</p>
<p>“Are you calling me stupid?” Giovanni cried in faux outrage. He clutched his chest and stared at her wide eyed as Ranvir laughed so hard she wheezed.</p>
<p>“I’m only kidding,” she managed to say when she’d calmed down, he smiled back at her as she let slip, “you know I adore you,”</p>
<p>Giovanni’s smile turned soft as he regarded her through the screen.</p>
<p>“Same,” he nodded.</p>
<p>The pair were quiet for a moment just watching each other and then Giovanni cleared his throat and said:</p>
<p>“How was Antigua?”</p>
<p>“So beautiful,” she smiled, her mind reflecting on the white beaches and the sun’s rays she so desperately missed.</p>
<p>“Did T have a good time?” Giovanni looked guilty for asking, his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat at the mention of her son and she took a deep breath before answering.</p>
<p>It wasn’t that Tushaan and Giovanni didn’t get along; quite the opposite in fact. T acted like Gio was a God send, like a cool uncle he wanted to be when he was older. It was nice for him to have a role model and she couldn’t have asked for anyone better to be said role model than Giovanni. He, of course, had taken it entirely in his stride. He’d call every Sunday during the show and ask T how his week had been and he was always on hand to help with any schoolwork if Ranvir herself wasn’t around. It was lovely but in some ways it had driven a wedge between her and her son which she despised. Where her focus had been Strictly for near enough three months she had been severely lacking in bonding time with Tushaan. If she suggested playing co-op on Rocket League he’d tell her he was playing with Gio, if she tried to coerce him into going outside and playing football he’d tell her he wanted dance lessons instead. She also knew there would come a time when Giovanni wouldn’t have time to talk to T, his career meant he was constantly on the go and wouldn’t always be available for a bedtime story on FaceTime. So she had asked Giovanni to back off a little over the Christmas break which he had graciously done.</p>
<p>It hadn’t seemed like a sore point with them at first, but now she was beginning to feel like there was a new distance between herself and Giovanni, one she had self imposed without meaning to. She had been very firm with both herself and him that they were just friends but she couldn’t truthfully say his words in the article claiming his relationship status as single hadn’t stung. The forceful denial appeared every time she closed her eyes and she wondered now if it was her fault and he had been hurt by her request for space, subconsciously choosing to lash out quietly with his word choices. He would never do anything to hurt her on purpose, she knew that, but maybe...</p>
<p>“Yeah,” she finally managed to say around the lump in her throat, “we landed at Gatwick and there was this family carrying a load of skiing equipment and now he won’t stop going on about skiing,” Ranvir forced a smile.</p>
<p>“Has he ever been skiing?” Giovanni asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Never,” she chuckled, shaking her head, “I’ve been thinking of taking him to a ski camp for a few days for his birthday,”</p>
<p>“I can recommend some amazing places in Italy,”</p>
<p>“You ski?” Ranvir asked, momentarily distracted.</p>
<p>“Me? No!” He shook his head emphatically, “can’t break any bones when you dance for a living,” he smiled at her as he folded his arms over his chest, “my cousins went a lot when we were kids, I can link you a few places they went if you like?”</p>
<p>“Oh my God I’d love that,” she smiled genuinely, “thank you,”</p>
<p>“No worries,”</p>
<p>“Have you heard any more about going back over yourself?” She asked, making casual conversation as his screen paused whilst he sent her links.</p>
<p>“Hopefully end of March,” he said and she could hear the smile in his voice.</p>
<p>“That’s exciting! I bet your parents are thrilled,”</p>
<p>“Yeah, they’re so happy, my sister too,”</p>
<p>Her phone buzzed with a few WhatsApp notifications that she presumed to be the links Giovanni had sent her. She opened them in Safari for some bed time reading and then returned to FaceTime.</p>
<p>“You haven’t seen them in what? A year?”</p>
<p>“Longer than that,” he nodded as his face reappeared, “let me know if you like the look of any of those, I can recommend some good places to stay nearby,”</p>
<p>“Aw thanks Giovanni, that’s appreciated,” she wanted to question the subject change but let it slide when he suddenly sat upright.</p>
<p>“Don’t book anything without telling me!” He warned, pointing a finger at her with a grin.</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>“I want to check out where you pick. Can’t have you two staying somewhere a bit dodgy can we?”</p>
<p>She smiled softly at his thoughtfulness and nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>“You’re right, and you would know all the dodgy places since they’re where you hang out,”</p>
<p>“Such a charmer, Ranvi,”</p>
<p>The pair laughed until Ranvir was interrupted by the sound of her son asking for a bedtime story.</p>
<p>“I’ll speak to you later, yeah?” He asked, obviously hearing Tushaan’s request.</p>
<p>He was staring imploringly at her, like he couldn’t quite figure out if he was crossing a line by asking or not. The last thing she wanted was for him to question his position in her life. Strictly had changed the game for her and she had not only gained a new skill and a much greater appreciation for her own body but she’d left with someone she considered to be a part of her in every sense of the word. It was too deep to get into whilst her son was waiting patiently at the top of the stairs so instead she said:</p>
<p>“Of course Giovanni, call me whenever,”</p>
<p>His answering grin was enough to put her mind at ease, at least for a little while.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I Can't Say Hello To You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Giovanni has some realisations of his own.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So we’re thinking of this place,” Ranvir’s voice filtered down the phone as Giovanni held it away from his ear, pressed loudspeaker and clicked the link she’d sent.</p>
<p>He took a few minutes to flit around the website, blindly reaching behind him for a tea towel as he began drying up. Ranvir had chosen a gorgeous private chalet at the bottom of the mountain. Whilst it looked like a snow covered dream cottage from the outside, the inside was entirely modern, boasting a wood burner, a small library and even a hot tub. Not only that but it was a ten minute drive from the town centre, perfect for souvenir shopping and family dinners if she didn’t feel like cooking. Giovanni was suitably impressed. </p>
<p>“Looks gorgeous,” he said, sliding the glass he had been drying back into the cupboard, “although I’m not sure how much skiing you’ll get done when you have that library to distract you,”</p>
<p>Ranvir practically squealed down the phone as Giovanni took her off loudspeaker with a laugh, jamming the phone between his ear and shoulder. </p>
<p>“I know!” She exclaimed, “T’s excited for the hot tub and I’m just dying to see what titles they’ve got,”</p>
<p>“Just hope they’re not all in Italian,” he teased. </p>
<p>“If they are I’ll be calling you up for a bedtime story every night,”</p>
<p>Giovanni grinned. He wished he could see her face right now, he knew she’d be giving him her best ‘I’m really funny aren’t I’ face, her tongue poking between her teeth as she held back a laugh. He shook his head at himself, wondering when their friendship had become so tight he could practically see her reactions.  </p>
<p>“That’s if you’ve even got Wi-Fi,” he said.</p>
<p>“That was the first thing Tushaan asked,” Ranvir laughed, “so we’ve definitely got internet connection,”</p>
<p>“Did you book him on the kids course yet?” </p>
<p>“Not yet, I wanted to check out this chalet with you,” she paused, “oh! We were thinking of extending the break actually, doing a couple of days on the slopes and then heading maybe to Palmero for some sun so I’ve got some links to places there if you’ve got time to have a look,”</p>
<p>“Why Palmero?” Giovanni scrunched up his nose.</p>
<p>“Well, I’m not gonna be doing any skiing, I’m far too old for that thank you very much, but I would like a sunny holiday and since the ski resort is only a couple of hours away from the capital-”</p>
<p>“Sicily has much nicer and sunnier places to offer,” he interrupted, mindlessly drying up a dinner plate, “I’ll send you some tonight if you want?”</p>
<p>“Oh,” she paused, “only if you don’t mind,”</p>
<p>“No, of course not,” he popped the plate away, reaching for another as he leant back against the cabinets, “Palmero is very tourist-y,” he added, “I can send you places a little less well known,”</p>
<p>“That's exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks Giovanni, that’s really nice of you,”</p>
<p>“I’ll make sure I pick places far away so other people don’t have to deal with you,”</p>
<p>“And there’s the mean Giovanni I know,” she laughed. In his mind’s eye he saw her roll her eyes with a grin and a head shake. </p>
<p>“I know you miss me darling,” he grinned as she let out a long suffering sigh down the phone.</p>
<p>“How did I put up with you for three months?” She teased.</p>
<p>“I ask myself that same question every day about you,”</p>
<p>The pair laughed lightly and then she said:</p>
<p>“I kinda miss having you around some days,”</p>
<p>“You do?” He asked, surprised at the confession. </p>
<p>“Just being around you makes me feel some type of way,” she hedged, “I’m more confident in myself, like your confidence just rubs off on me, I’m more laid back to contrast your need for structure, I don’t know,” she trailed off, a heavy silence settling over the line, “I miss those things you brought out in me,” </p>
<p>Giovanni didn’t know quite what to say. He too had really missed having Ranvir around all the time and when she had gone to Antigua, forcing herself into a two week social break, he had missed her even more. But she had pushed her need for space, selling it as ‘time to spend with her son’ and he had stood back and let her take as much as she needed. She had made it abundantly clear that they were to remain friends and only friends even though he was certain they’d been on the brink of something in December; but then she had asked for space and he respected her decision. Yet since she had been back in the UK, she had made a conscious effort to be in touch with him every day; whether that was a phone call, a text, a picture, a FaceTime, whatever it was, they were permanently in contact. It was lovely but it was a contradiction to what she had asked for.</p>
<p>Deciding he needed some clarification, Giovanni bit the bullet. </p>
<p>“Giving you space has been hard,” he said slowly, “I mean, I know we have to physically be apart but not hearing from you for a long time was difficult too,”</p>
<p>When Ranvir didn’t say anything, Giovanni continued.</p>
<p>“But it’s what you want so-”</p>
<p>“Wanted,” Ranvir corrected, “past tense,”</p>
<p>“So you’re done with space?” He clarified, putting the last dish away and returning to his position against the cabinet, brows furrowed in confusion.</p>
<p>“I think so, yes,” she said softly, “I just needed some time to reconnect with my son and now we have I realise how much of a hole you’ve left in my life,”</p>
<p>The phone line was quiet as he pondered her statement. There were so many questions he wanted to ask but it wasn’t the right time to ask them. Not when he’d just got her back after the longest few weeks of his life.</p>
<p>“Giovanni,” she said quietly, breaking the silence, “this isn’t a conversation we should have over the phone. It’s more complicated than I’m giving it credit for,”</p>
<p>“Okay,” he agreed easily knowing that Ranvir was stubborn and if she’d decided not to tell him something, pushing her wasn’t going to get it out of her any faster, “but just to be sure, no more space?”</p>
<p>“No more space,” she reiterated suddenly sounding tired. </p>
<p>“Well,” he mused, thinking how they were still supposed to be social distancing.</p>
<p>“Physical space, yes,” she chuckled obviously on the same wave length as him, “emotional space, no,”</p>
<p>“Good,”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” her voice was soft and quiet and he wondered exactly what she was doing at that moment.</p>
<p>It was approaching midnight so he imagined she was either curled up on her sofa with a half empty glass of wine, the TV playing low in the background or she was upstairs in bed, spread out on her king-size mattress under what he assumed would be a mountain of blankets. He wasn’t sure why, but she seemed like the blanket type.</p>
<p>“You sound tired so I’ll let you go,” Giovanni said, his voice dropping in volume to match hers, “I’ll send some links over to you tomorrow morning,”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she paused, “not just for the links,”</p>
<p>Her words were unspoken but he understood just the same. Giovanni took a risk.</p>
<p>“Are you yellow?” He asked gently.</p>
<p>“Happy?”</p>
<p>Giovanni made a noise of affirmation, imagining her doe eyed, sleepy face with a smile to himself. </p>
<p>“Yeah I am, are you?”</p>
<p>“I am now,” he replied with a smile. </p>
<p>“Goodnight Giovanni,” he could hear the grin in her voice followed by a yawn and he chuckled lightly. </p>
<p>“Goodnight Ranvir,” he thought for a second before adding, “and hey, I like me better when I’m with you too,”</p>
<p>“Yeah I definitely bring out the best in you,” she replied sleepily.</p>
<p>“You’re never too tired to tease are you,” he laughed.</p>
<p>“Never,”</p>
<p>As Giovanni hung up the phone he forced himself not to panic. When had he fallen so irrevocably in love with Ranvir Singh and why was there nothing he could do about it?</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for all the love on chapter 1, I hope you like this one just as much!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. And Risk Another Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ranvir makes some comparisons and finally works out what's going on in her head.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was late March when Ranvir and Tushaan flew out to Sicily. The weather started warm until they drove into the mountains where it suddenly dropped by a few Celsius and the scenery gave way to snow topped trees and dreamy white mountains. </p>
<p>Back in the UK, Ranvir had been offered the vaccine as part of a television campaign to raise numbers and awareness for ethnic minorities and now non-essential travel had been granted to the UK with a strict set of rules and regulations surrounding it, it truly felt amazing to know she wouldn’t be in her own house for the next week or so. </p>
<p>Tushaan’s ski lessons started at 8am sharp and Ranvir would drop him off with his group in the morning and then make her way to the coffee shop on the mountain with large glass windows, ordering a refillable coffee and a croissant before snuggling up in a booth with a book from the chalet. The ski lessons usually ended just after lunch so her and Tushaan still had plenty of the day left to spend together but she certainly didn’t begrudge the time spent in the coffee shop reading. </p>
<p>“Buongiorno Luca,”</p>
<p>“Buongiorno Ranvir, good conditions no?” The barista gestured out of the window as he poured her another cup of coffee.</p>
<p>“You know I know nothing about skiing,” she laughed.</p>
<p>“Oh I know,” he agreed with a teasing grin, “what’re you reading today?”</p>
<p>On the second or third day of her mornings in the coffee shop, Luca had introduced himself by asking if maybe she wanted to switch to decaf since he’d already refilled her cup four times and it wasn’t even 11am yet. Ranvir’s eyes had widened and she’d suddenly understood her past couple of sleepless nights. They’d made polite conversation for a little while and since that day he’d alternate her coffee refills and stop for a little chat as he did so. He looked no older than twenty with a thick Italian accent but his English was impeccable and she couldn’t help but enjoy his company whilst Tushaan was on the slopes.</p>
<p>“Much Ado About Nothing, are you familiar?” She asked, closing the book to show him the cover whilst keeping her thumb inside on her page. He shook his head.</p>
<p>“I know Shakespeare, but not this one,”</p>
<p>“Oh, well it’s basically his idea of romcom,” she grinned, “The two main characters Claudio and Hero fall in love and then Claudio is tricked into believing Hero cheated on him,”</p>
<p>“But she didn’t?” Luca took the seat opposite her with interest.</p>
<p>“No,” Ranvir shook her head, a sly smile on her features as she leaned in, “it was all a ruse,”</p>
<p>“Sounds like a typical romcom,”</p>
<p>“It is and it isn’t,” she tapped the cover, “the best part of the play is actually Benedict and Beatrice, they’re two people who claim to hate each other and fight non-stop,”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Luca dragged out the ‘a’ sound curiously.</p>
<p>“But their friends think they’re the perfect match and just want them to stop fighting so they play a little trick on them to make them think that the other is actually in love with them,”</p>
<p>“That’s cruel,” he laughed, covering his mouth with his hand.</p>
<p>“It’s all in good humour,” she grinned, “and all the fighting isn’t really fighting, they tease each other and enjoy each other’s company but won’t admit that what they’re doing is really called flirting,”</p>
<p>“And do they get together at the end?”</p>
<p>“Ah, that’s spoilers! You’ll have to read it for yourself,” she grinned, sitting back in her seat. </p>
<p>Luca rolled his eyes but nodded.</p>
<p>“Which book is next on the agenda?” He asked, standing up and re-tying his apron. </p>
<p>“Actually today’s my last day,”</p>
<p>“It is?” He pouted.</p>
<p>“Yep! Next stop Trapani!”</p>
<p>“Well I hope you and your son have an amazing time,” he grinned at her, “and make sure to stay safe,”</p>
<p>“Thank you for being so kind Luca, it’s been genuinely lovely getting to chat with you,” Ranvir said sincerely.</p>
<p>“Anything for my favourite customer,” he winked.</p>
<p>“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she laughed, drawing her knees up to her chest as she settled back in for some more reading. </p>
<p>“Only the ones who read Shakespeare,” he grinned.</p>
<p>Ranvir offered him a smile and wave as he left. She turned back to her book, her gaze being drawn out the window as she spotted a man tightening his son’s helmet strap in the snow. She tilted her head with a small, sad smile as she watched the interaction thinking how disappointing it must be for Tushaan to have never had that level of familiarity with his father. </p>
<p>Not for the first time Ranvir wondered if she had done the right thing by asking Giovanni to back off. At the time she had just wanted her son back but the more she thought about it (and it played on her mind a lot) the more she regretted her choice. Her son deserved a positive male influence in his life to play Rocket League with and tighten his helmet and if Giovanni had been willing to provide him with that, why had she asked him not to?</p>
<p>The simple answer was, of course, that she had wanted Tushaan to herself and for him not to get too close to someone who might leave and the more complicated answer was that she herself hadn’t wanted to get too close to someone who might leave. Again. </p>
<p>Ranvir had spent the past nine years building up walls, playing it safe, protecting Tushaan’s heart and her own from any further casualties and instead what she had truly done was shut herself off from forming truthful and honest connections with other people. She knew in her heart of hearts that Giovanni would never intentionally hurt Tushaan, he adored him and had treated him like a prince from the moment they met. So why then, if she truly already knew this, did she push him away?</p>
<p>Ranvir felt her heart thrumming in her chest; months of refusing to face the truth came to a head as she stared at the boy and his dad and finally faced the revelation that what she was really scared of was losing Giovanni. </p>
<p>In a matter of months Giovanni had got inside her head and made her vulnerable and she had hated it. He had sat and talked her through her deepest emotions and they had come out the other side as a unit. But the night of the final she knew he was going to ask her a question she didn’t have the answer to so she panicked and asked for space, unintentionally using her own son as an excuse. But now she was questioning her decision, the confidence he had built up in her finally chose to shine through, begging her to believe she deserved more for herself. Was she still absolutely terrified that something would go wrong and she’d lose him? Absolutely, yes. But did she owe it to herself and her son to pursue a connection and a bond she had never had before? Also, yes. </p>
<p>To push him away and give some excuse that hid her true feelings had been easy, to accept they had something special and risk losing one of the greatest friendships she’d ever known? Now that was hard. She had no idea what she’d do if she lost him too and so it only made sense that she had constructed a barrier between them. But now that barrier needed to come down and she’d already taken the first step by retracting her request for space. </p>
<p>Ranvir bit at her bottom lip worriedly as she considered Tushaan’s thoughts on the matter. She knew he loved Giovanni but she also knew he loved their family unit of two. Would he be accepting of someone else potentially joining it? If Giovanni still felt the same way of course and she hadn’t completely misread the situation. The coffee door swung open bringing with it Tushaan’s class who were all in high spirits, chattering away about their lessons. </p>
<p>It was an overwhelming feeling, she thought as she waved her son over, knowing that she was about to make a potentially life altering decision but she knew she had to do something about her feelings for Giovanni and she had to do it soon. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one is for Sophie - please enjoy the Much Ado reference and if you find the Starry Musical reference then... props to you. Hope you all enjoyed! Tomorrow is the last chapter, it's super long and I hope you're gonna love it as much as I do!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. I Wanna Try Again With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Our duo finally have a long-awaited chat.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was unseasonably warm in Sicily for early April. Spring was fast turning into summer, the fresh greens and yellows Giovanni was so accustomed to were turning darker with the sun and as he turned his face up to soak in the last of its rays, he allowed himself a moment of quiet content. </p><p>He’d been here for just over twenty four hours with a negative COVID test under his belt and much more lax rules to abide by he couldn’t begin to explain how much he’d missed his home country. Sure London was his actual home now but his first love would always be where he grew up. His parents had picked him up from the airport and taken him home to find a feast for what looked like twenty people on the dining room table. It had been incredible to be with them again, speaking his own language in a place he knew every orifice of and something in his chest had settled happily as he’d split a bottle of wine with his dad, catching up into the early hours of the morning.</p><p>Now, it was early evening, his parents were both out at work and he had nothing but an empty balcony and a beautiful view ahead of him. Giovanni sunk down onto a sun lounger as his phone buzzed in his pocket. </p><p>‘This place is beautiful x’ </p><p>The text was from Ranvir and seconds later a picture arrived of an infinity pool overlooking a familiar winery, the sun beginning to set in the distance. </p><p>Giovanni hadn’t realised they were going to be in Sicily at the same time; he knew the ski season ended at the beginning of April but he hadn’t put much thought into that lining up with his own plans. He debated whether it would be weird to tell her that he was just twenty minutes down the road, afraid she would think he was stalking her and then decided that Ranvir wasn’t stupid enough to think that was true and replied:</p><p>‘Can you FaceTime? X’</p><p>His phone rang just seconds later and he grinned as he answered it.</p><p>“Hi stranger,” he said with a wave.</p><p>“It’s good to see your face!” she smiled, pulling the sliding door to their villa closed behind her as she stepped onto the patio. “Thank God the Wi-Fi here works the one on the mountain wasn’t great so I didn’t get to send you half as many photos as I wanted to,”</p><p>“You’ll just have to show me in person,” he smiled, “I loved that one of T in his little ski goggles,”</p><p>“God, he’s just so cute isn’t he?” </p><p>“So you had a good time then?”</p><p>“I think Tushaan had more fun than I did although I think I may have set myself up for a lifetime of skiing trips,” she pulled a face as she settled into a sun lounger and Giovanni laughed at her disappointment. </p><p>“A future Olympian on your hands maybe?” He asked cheekily.</p><p>“Oh God, I don’t think I could handle that, I’d be terrified he was going to break every bone in his body on a daily basis,”</p><p>“So protective,” he teased.</p><p>Ranvir watched him through the screen, her large brown eyes scanning him carefully. Should he have teased her about that? Maybe Tushaan was still a sensitive subject. </p><p>“Where are you?” She asked suddenly.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You’re not at your flat,” she paused, flushing a deep pink, “I’m not… interrupting anything am I?”</p><p>“What? No!” Giovanni exclaimed, a tiny bit hurt that she would think he had moved on that quickly. Then again, he reasoned, she didn’t exactly know the extent of his feelings for her. “Promise not to think this is weird?”</p><p>“I promise?” She questioned, “just tell me where you are!” Ranvir giggled.</p><p>“Okay, I’m currently in Sicily at my parent’s house,”</p><p>“You are?” She sat upright in her seat as she waited for his answer. </p><p>“Yeah, about twenty minutes down the road from you actually,” he braced himself for her next question which he was certain would be something along the lines of ‘why are you here at the same time as me?’ or ‘why did you link me to a place so close to your parent’s place?’</p><p>“Did you want to come over for a bit?” </p><p>She looked nervous, something she never gave away with her body language and you could only tell if you knew Ranvir well. He fidgeted in his seat suddenly nervous too. </p><p>“Only if you’re free and y’know… want to,” she added, trailing off at the end. </p><p>“I’d actually really like that,” Giovanni smiled softly.</p><p>“We’re overdue a chat aren’t we,” she said rhetorically, her gaze shifting down. </p><p>He swallowed hard, glad she had bought it up. </p><p>“I’ll bring the wine,” he said in an attempt to raise a smile from her.</p><p>“Great,” she said quietly, “text when you’re here, T is asleep and it’s probably best he doesn’t wake up and see you,”</p><p>“No problems,” he nodded, pushing down the sinking feeling he felt at her wanting to hide his presence from her son. “I’ll see you in about half an hour?”</p><p>“Perfect, see you then,”</p><p>-</p><p>Giovanni arrived at her villa clutching a red and a white nervously. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for Ranvir to read his text and come to the door. As if she had read his mind, the barrier opened and he was momentarily stunned. </p><p>“Hi,” she said softly, standing back to let him pass her but Giovanni was rooted to the spot. </p><p>Ranvir looked resplendent. Her white maxi dress pooled at her feet thanks to her shorter than average height, but the colour was making her glow in the low light of the hallway. She was completely bare-faced, her hair falling over her shoulders in natural waves and he couldn’t help but swallow hard as she grinned at him. </p><p>“Everything okay?” She asked, tilting her head in concern.</p><p>“Yeah,” he managed to say, blinking hard and finally looking her in the eye, “you have no idea how nice it is to see you,”</p><p>A slow smile spread over Ranvir’s features as she ushered him in. </p><p>“Right back at you,” she said quietly, “head straight on through, I’ll grab a couple of glasses and meet you on the patio,”</p><p>Giovanni nodded and slipped his shoes off before padding through the hallway into the open plan lounge, kitchen and diner. With vaulted ceilings and exposed wood beams he had not been surprised when Ranvir had told him this was her choice of villa. She loved the farmhouse style that was evident in the way she dressed: comfortable with clean lines and he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he spotted the bi-fold doors that led outside. The patio was huge, a glass dining set sat on one side with an infinity pool bang in the middle and cosy looking swing set to the right. The view of the vineyard itself was pretty spectacular from where he stood too especially with the pinks and oranges of the sky to contrast the green fields. </p><p>“You wanna take the chairs, the pool or the swing set?” Ranvir asked as she shut the bi-fold doors with one hand, the other clutching a corkscrew and two wine glasses by the stem. </p><p>“It would be a shame to waste this sunset in a chair,” Giovanni grinned, placing the wine he was carrying on the ground as she approached. </p><p>“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” She asked, handing him the glasses and lifting her dress to sit on the side of the pool her legs in the water, “Once it’s a bit darker the lights will come on automatically,”</p><p>Giovanni sat beside her with a hum of affirmation, slipping his socks off and rolling up his jeans to dip his own feet in the pool. The water was warm and he took a moment to watch the ripple effect over its surface. </p><p>“Red or white?” He asked eventually, “I bought both, wasn’t sure what you’d fancy,”</p><p>Ranvir smiled at him kindly. </p><p>“White is good,”</p><p>Giovanni uncorked the bottle, pouring them both an average sized drink.</p><p>“So, how have you been?” He asked conversationally. </p><p>“Good actually,” she said as he handed her her glass, “Tushaan had the best time skiing, I did so much reading and a little bit of quiet reflection and I think I’m generally in a much better place now,”</p><p>“Trapani is a gorgeous place,” he teased. She leaned into his shoulder playfully before sitting upright.</p><p>“I'm in a much better place <em>emotionally</em>,”</p><p>He smirked, taking a sip of his wine and then placing it beside him.</p><p>“How have you been? It’s really great to see you in person,”</p><p>She smiled at him, that same disarming grin that had knocked him off his feet several months ago when they’d first met and he offered her a small smile back, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. </p><p>“I’ve been good, I only arrived yesterday so I’ve only seen my parents really but lockdown made me realise just how much I missed them and how important it is to get back out here as often as I can,”</p><p>“You miss living here?” She asked quietly.</p><p>“Sometimes,” he replied, lowering his voice slightly, “it’s a beautiful country but London is my home now,”</p><p>“Must be nice to have two places you can call home,” </p><p>“That’s true,” Giovanni nodded thoughtfully, “I’d like to move back when I retire,”</p><p>“Yeah? You think about that kinda stuff?”</p><p>“Well I’m gonna get old someday,”</p><p>“That’s true,”</p><p>“Not just yet though,” </p><p>She grinned at him, her tongue poking between her teeth and Giovanni wondered if it had been a mistake to come as his heart hammered in his chest. The things he felt for Ranvir went so far beyond friendship it would be a disservice to call them anything but love. She had put a firm line in the sand by defining them as friends earlier in the year and he had drawn his own line during that article but now a big wave of love had washed the sand clean and he had no idea where the line was anymore. </p><p>“Are you sure everything’s okay?” Ranvir asked when the silence stretched on too long to be classed as comfortable, “it’s like your body is here but your mind is off somewhere else,”</p><p>“I think maybe we should try that talk now,” he said quietly, catching and holding her gaze.</p><p>“You want to start?” She joked, clearly trying to alleviate the tension.</p><p>“Okay,” Giovanni agreed slowly, “can I start with a question to you?”</p><p>“Sure,” she nodded, taking a long sip of her wine before placing it beside her and turning to face him, giving him her full undivided attention. </p><p>“Why did you really need space?”</p><p>It wasn’t the question he was initially going to ask but it had been the one at the forefront of his mind and he had a feeling that whatever her answer was, he’d find out for sure how she truly felt about him. </p><p>“Okay, I guess I’m starting then,” she mumbled, lifting a leg out of the pool to curl beside her, she took a deep breath and began, “initially I asked for space because Tushaan was getting closer to you and further away from me,” she released a sigh, running a hand through her hair. “You have to understand it’s always been just me and T, we’re a unit and when it felt like he was pulling away from me I panicked,”</p><p>“I understand,” Giovanni said with a nod and she looked hugely relieved that he hadn’t judged her choice.</p><p>“But after Antigua I realised I was never going to lose him, he’s my son and he’ll always be my son and I was stupid to think that our bond had weakened due to me being busy or him wanting to spend more time with you,” she bit her bottom lip gently as she took a second to breathe. </p><p>“There was also the fact that I couldn’t bear for him to lose you when the normal world returned. I decided, and that was wrong of me, that it would be better for him not to get too attached in the first place. But then I realised he deserved your friendship and from what I could see you both got genuine joy from your time together. And then on the ski trip I realised that all of the excuses I’d been making for Tushaan were actually excuses for me,”</p><p>The Italian watched her curiously. She was full on rambling, her hands making large motions in the air willing him to understand her thought process and it only endeared him to her more. </p><p>“I’d already relinquished my request for space,” she paused, “and then you and I were in contact more frequently and it felt,” she searched for the word, her eyes skyward, “nice, right even, and I realised that I could have the best of both worlds,”</p><p>“Wait, you thought you couldn’t have me in your life because you already had T?” Giovanni asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion. </p><p>“I didn’t think I had the capacity for two full time relationships,” she nodded, “I’ve only ever had,” she stopped herself suddenly, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at him.</p><p>“You’ve only ever had?” He repeated in attempt to coax the rest of her sentence out of her.</p><p>“I’ve only ever had to love one person at a time before,” she whispered.</p><p>If his heart had been hammering in his chest earlier, now there was a full stampede going on in there. Giovanni felt a cocktail of emotions and before he even had time to sift through them, Ranvir said:</p><p>“I know you’ve probably moved on, I mean, we haven’t seen each other in ages and I pushed you away and made you feel awful so I completely understand if you’re not interested anymore or if you even were in the first place, I could be making your feelings up,” she laughed nervously, “but-”</p><p>He couldn’t stop himself; that was as much of a love confession as he was going to get. Giovanni launched forward and kissed her hard, trying to communicate how he would never and could never change his mind about her. She responded with equal vigour, a surprised sound escaping her throat as her fingers scratched the back of his head. She tasted sweet like the wine they were drinking and as he continued to pour his all into the kiss he realised it felt exactly as perfect as he knew it would.</p><p>“I wasn’t finished speaking,” she mumbled against his lips.</p><p>“You said all I needed to know,” he chuckled, pressing butterfly kisses to every part of her face he could reach. </p><p>“I have something else to tell you,”</p><p>Giovanni hummed still trying to kiss her and only sat back when Ranvir laughed and pushed him to his original position. </p><p>“Okay,”</p><p>“I’m scared,” she admitted. </p><p>“Of?” He replied, the elation he had been feeling only ten seconds previously starting to fade. Ranvir let out a self deprecating laugh.</p><p>“Where do I start?” she asked sarcastically, “I’m scared of fucking this up, of Tushaan freaking out about this, of losing you,”</p><p>“Stop, stop,” Giovanni reached for her hands, gently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles to stop her spiralling, “we take this one day at a time okay? The way I feel about you hasn’t changed and we can worry about Tushaan at a later date, he doesn’t need to know anything for now, does he?”</p><p>“No,” Ranvir agreed, already looking mildly calmer, “can I ask you something?”</p><p>“Sure,”</p><p>“The day of the final, were you going to ask me out?”</p><p>Giovanni grinned at her, squeezing her hands lightly. </p><p>“Is that what freaked you out?” He asked curiously as she nodded, “I wanted to but you made it very clear that in your mind we were only friends,”</p><p>Ranvir made a noise of affirmation, her shoulders relaxing as he spoke. </p><p>“I’m sorry I pushed you away,” she said softly.</p><p>“I’m just glad you realised we have something between us worth exploring,” he reached for the ends of her hair, twisting them around his fingers as he spoke. </p><p>“Me too,” </p><p>Giovanni watched, his eyes soft as the fairy lights flickered on around them. The sun had almost fully set, the sky an explosion of reds and oranges, golden hour as it was more commonly known, but he only had eyes for the vision in front of him. </p><p>“So what do we do now?” She whispered, shuffling forward to rest her forehead against his. </p><p>“Well,” he pretended to think, “maybe some of this?”</p><p>Softly, Giovanni pressed his lips to hers cupping her face with his hand and burying his fingers into her waves. It was nothing more than a peck really, a kiss hello, the start of something, but he felt like he was entirely on fire as her fingers blazed a path up his thigh. </p><p>“Maybe some more of this?” She said against his mouth.</p><p>He took her bottom lip between his teeth gently. </p><p>“Definitely,” he agreed as her fingers dug into his skin.</p><p>“And then?”</p><p>Giovanni was quiet for a moment as he stared unblinkingly into Ranvir’s chocolate eyes. It was a revelation to be this close to someone and still crave physical intimacy. He wanted to be curled around her, feeling her invade his every sense. He wanted to become one with her, to know what every inch of her skin looked like and to cover it in as many kisses as she’d allow. He wanted to ask her if he could be by her side forever, to be her partner in every sense of the word. But there would be a time for that. For now:</p><p>“Maybe we watch the sun come up,” he whispered. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What a journey! Just want to say a huge thank you for always supporting me and being so complimentary, I can't tell you how much joy and love it brings me &lt;3 Hope you guys liked it!!</p>
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